Scanning Tele cameras (STCs) based on two optical path folding element (OPFE) field-of-view scanning and mobile devices including such STCs. A STC may comprise a first OPFE (O-OPFE) for folding a first optical path OP1 to a second optical path OP2, an O-OPFE actuator, a second OPFE (I-OPFE) for folding OP2 to a third optical path OP3, an I-OPFE actuator, a lens, a lens actuator and an image sensor, wherein the STC has a STC native field-of-view (n-FOVT), wherein the O-OPFE actuator is configured to rotate the O-OPFE around a first axis and the I-OPFE actuator rotates the I-OPFE around a second axis for scanning a scene with the n-FOVT, wherein the lens actuator is configured to move the lens for focusing along a third axis, and wherein the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis and parallel to the third axis.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A scanning Tele camera (STC), comprising: an optical path folding element (OPFE) for folding a first optical path OP1 to a second optical path OP2; an OPFE actuator; a lens with a maximum lens aperture height HA along OP1; and an image sensor, wherein the STC has a STC native field-of-view n-FOVT, wherein the OPFE actuator is configured to rotate the OPFE around a first rotation axis perpendicular to both OP1 and OP2 and around a second rotation axis parallel to OP1 for scanning a scene with the n-FOVT, wherein the STC is included in a camera module, wherein the camera module is divided into a module region having a module region height HM and a shoulder region having a shoulder region height HS<HM, both HM and HS measured along OP1, and wherein HS<HA+3 mm.
2. The STC of claim 1, wherein HS<HA+2 mm.
3. The STC of claim 1, the OPFE having an OPFE length LO measured along an axis perpendicular to OP1 and an OPFE light exiting surface, wherein the first rotation axis is located at a distance Δ1 from the light exiting surface of the OPFE, and wherein Δ1/LO<0.25.
4. The STC of claim 3, wherein Δ1/LO<0.2.
5. The STC of claim 3, wherein Δ1/LO<0.1.
6. The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE has an OPFE center with respect to OP1, wherein the first rotation axis is located at a distance ΔC from the OPFE center along OP1, and wherein a ratio of ΔC and HS fulfils ΔC/HS>0.01.
7. The STC of claim 6, wherein ΔC/HS>0.015.
8. The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens has a maximum lens aperture width WA measured along an axis perpendicular to both OP1 and OP2, and wherein HS<WA.
9. The STC of claim 1, wherein HS/HM<0.9.
10. The STC of claim 1, wherein HA/HS>0.7.
11. The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens has an effective focal length (EFL), an aperture diameter (DA) and a f number f/#=EFL/DA, and wherein DA/HS>0.8.
12. The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens has an effective focal length (EFL), an aperture diameter (DA) and a f number f/#=EFL/DA, and wherein f/#<3.5.
13. The STC of claim 12, wherein f/#<3.
14. The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE has an OPFE height HO along OP1 and wherein HM<HO+3 mm.
15. The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE is included in the module region and wherein the lens and the image sensor are included in the shoulder region.
16. The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens is divided into a first lens group (G1) and a second lens group (G2), and wherein G1 has a lens optical axis parallel to OP1 and G2 has a lens optical axis parallel to OP2.
17. The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens is divided into a first lens group (G1) and a second lens group (G2), wherein the OPFE and G1 are included in the module region and G2 and the image sensor are included in the shoulder region.
18. The STC of claim 1, included in a mobile device, wherein the mobile device has a regular region with a regular thickness T and a bump region with a bump thickness T+B, wherein the shoulder region is included in the mobile device regular region and wherein the module region is included in the mobile device bump region.
19. The STC of claim 18, wherein the mobile device includes a Wide camera having a Wide camera image sensor and a Wide camera field-of-view (FOVW).
20. The STC of claim 19, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.
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December 24, 2024
June 10, 2025
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